Collapsible cabinet refrigerator



g- 5, 1952 J. B REPLOGLE 2,605,617

COLLAPSIBLE CABINET REFRIGERATOR Filed March 3, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 5, 1952 J. a. REPLOGLE COLLAPSIBLE CABINET REFRIGERATOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 3, 1949 IZTVEZTTDI l/fMfJ 5 35, 10 74 yhw m ww Patented Aug. 5, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 2,605,617 i p COLLAPSIBLE CABINET REFRIGERATOR. James B; Replogle, Waukegan, Ill. Application March 3,1949; Serial -No.=i9;4t0

This invention relates to improvements in a refrigerator for the storing of foods and other perishables, the invention being highly desirable 12 Claims. (Cl. 62-89)" E for use in'connection with relatively large sized refrigerators for larger homes, commercial establishments, and, the like, although the invention will have other uses and purposes as will be apparentto one skilled in the art.'

In the past, many and various types ofrefrigerators for the storage of foods and other perishables have been designed. Extreme difficulty has been experienced, however, inthe placing of a relatively large sized refrigerator in a commercial establishment, a largerhcme, or some similar location, due to the small entrances provided to the building. Frequently a door and adjacent portion of a wall would-have to be removedand thenv replaced after therefrigerator had been positioned within the. building, unless the refrigerator was actually constructed inside the building, the latter procedure, of course, being objectionably expensive. Great difiiculty has also been experienced in the past not only in maintaining the temperaturein'the storage compartment of a refrigerator substantially-constant, but alsoin maintaining that'temperature sub stantially uniform throughout the entire storage compartment.

With theforegoing in mind, it is an important object of the instant invention to provide a complete refrigerator cabinet, exclusive of a door or doors, which is foldable into a compact layer-onlayer a form thereby facilitating handling and shipping.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a refrigerator, complete except for a door or doors, which may be manufactured even extra large and is readily collapsible to permit ready and easy entrance and exit through the normal opening to a building.

It is also a feature of this invention to provide a refrigerator in which the refrigerating mechanism itself is disposed entirely outside the storage cabinet, where the mechanism is readily accessible and the full storage space inside the cabinet is usable.

Still another feature of this invention resides in the provision of a refrigerator of the mechanical type in which no moving parts are incorporated anywhere inside the'cabinet, and there is nothin associated with'the cabinet to become out of order during normal usage.

' It is also an object of this invention to provide a refrigerator, which may be made of substantially any desirable size, and in which the temperature is not only maintained substantially constant, but'substantially uniform throughout the 2. V entire storage compartment, regardless of the size of that storageicom-partment.

A further feature of the invention resides in the provision of arefrigeratorin which'the bottom, top, back, and sidewalls of the storagecompartment are directly chilled over substantially their entire surface.

It is also afeature of theiinvention' to provide airefrigerator in which a 'cooling'or convection fluid circulates through the walls'of'the storage compartment.

The instant inventionaalso seeks the-provision of a highly eflicient'refrigerator wherein a; convection fluid circulates: over the outer face of the inside-lining or skinof'thestorage compartment, and the circulationspace in the. wallsis baflied at judicious locationsnto insure an even heat transfer over substantially the entirewall surface.

An important feature 'of the instant invention is the provisionof a refrigerator, whichvmay" be made in substantially any desirable sizeLand which is readily foldable or' collapsible to permit easy entrance and exit through normalopenings to a building, and wherein a-convection fluid circulates through aspace in the walls'of the storage-compartment, and the fluid passes from wall to wall through the hinges joining'the respective walls together.

Still another object of the instant invention is the provision of a new typehi'nge construction capable of passing a fluid'therethrough from one to the other of the parts pivotally connectedby the hinge.

While some of' the more salient features, characteristics and advantages of the instant invention have been above pointed. out, otherswill become apparentv from thefollowing disclosures, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a pictorial view of a refrigerators less a door or doors, BIIlbOdYiIlgj principles of the instant invention, showing-the same in folded or collapsed form Figure 2 is also a'pictorial'view of the structure of Fig. 1 showing the. same in partially. un-

folded condition;

Figure 3 is a'pictori'al view of the structureof Fig. 1 showing the same with doors attached and set up in position for use;

Figure 4v is a greatly enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially as indicated by the line IVIV of Fig. 3;. looking. in the direction of the arrows, and illustrating the arrangement of an inside hinge with {respect to the adjacent walls, joined by thathinge;

Figure 5 isa view similar in character to Fig. 4,

but a plan section taken substantiallyas indicated by the line V-V of Fig. 3, illustrating the association of an outside hinge with adjacent Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical 7 sectional View taken substantially as'indicated by the line VIII--VIII of Fig. 3, indicating ,the 1 means for securing adjacent walls together; and

Figure 9 is a fragmentary dia'gramm'aticview illustrating a refrigerator cooling mechanism in elevation outside the refrigerator cabinet, and showing the cabinet in plan section to indicate the arrangement by which the convection is maintained in a cold condition;

As shown on the drawings.

'I'heillu'strated embodiment of thi s'inve'ntion one or two doors are used. Prior to'deli'very,- five panels are connected I together, the. doors not being attached until the'refrigerator is mounted in its location for use.- Q

As seen in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the 'refrigerator cabinet, exclusive of the door or doorsi includes a backpanel or wall I,a :top panel 2,. 'aibottom panel 3, and a pair of oppositely disposed 'side or embodies a refrigerator cabinet,'preferably made 'of six or seven panels, depending upon whether If so desired, suitable feet III may be provided on the underside of the bottom panel 3.

With reference now to Fig. 8, it will be seen that two of the walls, preferably the top and bottom walls 2 and 3, are provided with open bottom sockets I I adjacent each corner or wherever else may be deemed desirable. These sockets when the panel is disposed at right angles to an adjacent side panel merge with the socket I2 mounted in the side panel so that a bolt or stud I3 may be threadedly engaged in both sockets,

thus firmly uniting the anels at their adjacent beveled edges.

' With reference more particularly to Figs. 4 and 5,'it.wil1 be seen that each panel or wall comprises an outer skin l4, preferably of sheet metal,

a false inner lining or skin 15, and an actual inner lining or skin lfi. The inner linings I5 and I6 are spaced apart to provide a cavity or jacket I! therebetween through which a' convection litiuid may circulate. Between the false inner lining I5 and the outer skin I4 suitable insulation I8is provided. The insulation may be of non-rigid, semi-rigid or rigid construction, and, as stated above, the outer skin" I 4 is preferably'of relatively rigid material such as sheet metal to" withstand abuse, -and particularly so in case the in- I sulation is of the non-rigid type. Both the 'outer end panels 4 and 5. Each of these'panels'is preferably provided 'v'vith'a surrounding edge portion in the form ofisubstantially 'a 45 bevel :so

that each panel may'readily be disposed at right angles to an adjacent panel and there will-be a tight anduniform fit between, the panel edges. aSuch bevel arrangement may be indicated at 6 in Figs. 1. and 2,.and it'will be noted that all bevels are preferably sloping inwardly.

' The top and'bottomjpanelsi and 3 are preferably secured to the backor rear panel I, each :by one or more inside hinges I, there being two such hinges in the illustrated showing for joining each ofithe other panels to the back panel. The side panels 4 and 5 are similarly connectedto the rear panel I',-but'in this case outside hinges 8 are employed. Thus, complete collapsing of the cabinet may be had by folding the topandbottom panels 2 and 3 over one face of the rear panel I,

and folding the side panels 4 and 5 over the other face'of the rear panel, as clearly seen in Fig. 1. When in such collapsed or folded condition, it is obvious that the refrigerator cabineti may. be

readily andeasily passedthrough substantially any entrance opening to a building, whereas it would be impossible to pass the-cabinetliii boxlike formation ready for usethroughj, such an opening- As will be noted from the showing in Figs. 1 and 2, the cabinet may. readily be constructed with each of the top, bottom, and side panelspf substantially half the'sizeoftherear panel-. 1

' When it is desired to assemble the cabinet for use,. it is asimple expedient to set .the folded cabinet of Fig. l upright, drop the bottom panel "3, raise the top panel'2, and forwardly fold the .side panels 4 and 5 into intimate edge engagement with the other panels. The panelsgmay readily be secured in their useful position by means to be later described. After the assembly of the cabinet itself, one or more doors 9 may easily be added, and in the illustrated instance I have elected to show two such doors, although in many cases only one door is preferred.

these margins are joined by a thermally non-conductive strip or panel l9 which may "suitably be made of plastic. Asseen inFig. 4;the inner lining I6 is preferably shaped as-indicated at 20 to smoothly accommodate the leaves and knuckle arrangement of an'inside hinge I'. 'With'reference to Fig; 5' it will'be seen that the outer skin I4 is shaped inwardly asat'ZI to accommodate the leaves of an outer hinge 8. It will be understood, of course,-that the inner? lining I6 may be enameled, polished, or otherwise provided with a desirable-surface. g Y I Again looking at Fig. 5, it "will be noted that in order to establish communication between the fluid jacket I! of one wall, and the fluid' jacket ll of an adjacent wall, passages are "provided through the'walls to the respectivehinge in the, caseof an outside hinge 8; It will be .noted from thisshowing'that the wall I is provided with a tube 22' communicating at one end with the respective jacket I'I, extending through the insulation I8, and communicating at the otherend through the outer skin I4 with a passage 22a in the hinge. In similar fashion'the adjacent side or endwall 4 is provided with a tube-.23 communicating" at its inner end with the respective jacket I! and at its outer end with another passage 23a in the same hinge. Since each hinge is firmly attached to adjacentwalls in the usual manner, there is no opportunity for the passage throughthe wallbecoming out of alignment with the corresponding passage in the hinge.

In Fig. 6 I have illustrated an outside hinge 8 which includes a pair of opposed leaves 25'and -2 6. The leaf 25 is provided with an upper knuckle munication with an interior bore 38in direct communication with an interior bore 3| in the knuckle 29, and the aforesaid passage 22a communicates with the lower part of the bore 3 I. The adjacent 7 ture is easilyset up in position, the adjacent panels secured together, the hinges locked in place, and it is a simple expedientto then provide the convection fluid. With a sealed in system, that fluid need never be replaced.

It will, of course, be understood that various details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention and it is, therefore, not the purpose to limit the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention: I

1. In a collapsible refrigerator cabinet, a rear wall, opposed top and bottom walls, opposed end walls, inside hinges connecting one pair of opposed walls to said rear wall, and outside hinges connecting the other pair ofopposed walls to said rear w'all,'whereby said pairs -of opposed walls may be folded overopposite' faces of said''rear wan; I

2. In a collapsible refrigerator cabinet, a

plurality of wall panels, hinges adjacent panels together, each panel having an edge iii the form of a bevel, 'and locking means asso- 'ciated with said hinges tb themfi' ifirea position 'when said panels unfolded'tofcabinet formL' "3. In a refrigerator cabinet, a pair of adjacent walls, a'pair of hinges connecting said walls, each said wall having a convection fluid jacket therein, said hinges having Passages therethrough, each said wall having communications between the respective jacket and said whereby fluid may enter a jacket through one 'hinge'and exit through the other, and baifle means in. each jacket -to cause the convection fluid to follow a. tortuous path through the jacket. v 4.In a refrigerator cabinet, a rear wall, and

four side walls, a pair of hinges connecting each '40 side wall to said rear wall, each'said wall having a convection fluid jacket adjacent the thereof, said hinges having fluid passages therethrough, each said wall having means therein to establish communication between the respective jacket and the adjacent hinge' means, and baille means in said walls arranged to provide a tortuous path for convection fluid through said jackets, the fluid entering each side wall through one hinge and exiting throughthe other passing through a portion of said rear 'wall between adjacent side walls.

5. In combination, a collapsible refrigerator cabinet including a plurality of separatehollow walls hinged together to form a box-like structure, means establishing communication between the hollows of adjacent walls, and means external of said cabinet to pum a convection fluid through said walls.

6. In combination, a foldable refrigerator cab,- inet including a plurality offSeParate hollow walls pivotally connected to form a'box-like structure. "means establishing communication between'the hollows of adjacent walls, bailles inthe hollows of said walls to provide a tortuous path for convection fluid, and means to pump a convection fluid successively through said walls.

7. In combination, a foldablerefrigerator cabinet including a plurality of separate hollow walls pivotally connected to form a box-like structure, means establishing communication between the hollows of adjacent walls, a refrigeration unit outside said cabinet and including an evaporator, a jacket in heat exchange relationship with said evaporator, and a closed convection fluid circuit 8 including said hollow walls, said jacket and a pump.

8. A hinge arranged to pass fluid therethrough, including a, leaf having spaced knuckles-thereon, a leaf having an intermediate knuckle thereon for disposition between said spaced knuckles, one of said spaced knuckles having a longitudinal passage therein with a lateral passage communicating therewith, said intermediate knuckle having similar passages therein with the lateral passage at an angle to that of said one spaced knuckle, said longitudinal passages being in alignment, said one spaced knuckle and said intermediate knuckle having a conical seat therebetween, and a bolt threaded through-the other spaced knuckle to bear against said intermediate knuckle and lock the hinge with said conical seat establishing a fluidtight seal.

9. A hinge arranged to pass fluid therethrough, including a pair of leaves, a knuckle on each leaf, each knuckle having a lateral passage and a longitudinal passage in communication, and means to lock said knuckles with said longitudinal passages in alignment and a fluidtight seal therebetween.

10. In a refrigerator cabinet; a rear wall, four side walls connected to each side of said rear wall, means forming a jacket for convection fluid adjacent the inner face of each said wall, the jackets in said four side walls each communicating twice with the jacket of said rear wall, and baflle means in said rear wall jacket jacket in turn but through a portion of the rear wall jacket between successive side wall jackets, and baflle means in each side wall jacket to cause the fluid to follow a tortuous path therethrough.

12. In a collapsible refrigerator cabinet, a rear wall, opposed top and bottom walls, opposed end walls, inside hinges connecting one pair of opposed walls to said rear wall, outside hinges connecting the other pair of opposed walls to said rear wall, whereby said pairs of opposed walls may be folded over opposite faces of said rear wall, and means forming a jacket for a convection fluid in each said wall adjacent the inner face thereof, said hinges being passaged to establish communication between the rear wall and said side walls.

- JAMES B. REPLOGLE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 134,575 Warner Jan. 7, 1873 1,651,284 Leiberman Nov. 29, 1927 1,726,344 Davenport Aug. 27, 1929 2,017,469 McKee Oct. 15, 1935 2,056,786 Harbordt Oct. 6, 1936 2,234,415 Phillips Man-11, 1941 

